Considering that our everyday life usually becomes a series of consecutive habits that affect its entirety, the following question could emerge: What happens when we decide to change these habits? “When our habits change, it’s like some brain cables are being reconnected. Our brain is a circuit that creates neuronic connections, depending on our daily repeated habits.” Habits are deep-seated behaviours, connected to our brain and executed automatically. This helps our brain, on the one hand, to consume its energy on other, more difficult commands. In the meantime, though, these behaviours lead to the repetition of several harmful to us habits. Our brain operates automatically, up until we decide to change a habit and replace it with a new one. Then, the already existing neuronic circuit is replaced by a new one, making it possible to unhook ourselves from our old habits and introduce ourselves to a new environment.
That’s evolution’s aim anyway; the change of our routine and our way of thinking towards the better. Besides, the constant repetition of unsatisfying, or, even worse, harmful habits can affect our entire life. Even the time we consume following all these unwanted habits is precious, as it could be used creatively towards change. For example, if we’re used to whining and feeling sad, then, as a vicious circle, we’ll constantly find reasons to be annoyed and complain. On the contrary, if we learn how to be “addicted” to joy and pursue it, then we can find a thousand habits and reasons to be happy and grateful. Habits are part of our daily lives and our time. If we choose to reconnect our routine to new energy and thoughts, then it will change radically.
Researches have proven that 66 days are needed to form a new habit, a number that obviously might vary between people, depending on the circumstances, their motivation, their desire to change, but also the type of habit. Of course, habits differ from one another. For example, smoking is generally considered among “bad” habits while a balanced diet is considered among desirable habits-objectives. Obviously, it’s way easier to integrate a new habit in your life than to get away from your routine. Moreover, we know that age plays an important part since it’s easier to induct a child to a habit than to change an adult’s deep-seated opinion or habit. However, regardless the time needed for change or difficulties that may arise, what’s important is desire. What’s important is the moment when the need for change will be cultivated and a new beginning will prevail.
It’s logical and obvious that process of changing the habit “circuit” isn’t self-explanatory or unhindered. It’s hard to wake up one morning and say you’ll change everything and then actually start a new life that will become a habit. Even the constant and daily effort for change might be sullied at times when the need to revisit old familiar habits resembles that of a little kid. We find it difficult to give away, to motivate ourselves and put ourselves out of our usual habits, even if we acknowledge the harm they cause. What we’re afraid of is change, thus creating a sense of procrastination. We want to return back to old habits again and again, like we’re pathologically addicted to them. Nevertheless, difficulty is a mental subject. We can cut cables, connect new ones, change information routes in our brain and build new paths. Paths that will form a brand-new routine, full of small and simple “good” and beneficial habits, able to transform our entire life.
Even if the force of habit as our second nature, according to Aristotle, is well known, the quality of said habits is a matter of personal responsibility and unprompted intention. Then, it’s important to disclose the nature of our chosen habits, whose repetition will determine the kind of life we’re going to live. Being in control of our life and of ourselves we can even decide that our life isn’t appropriate, but we pursue a radical change. Because life and habits are made to constantly change. The achievement of the needed 66 or 566 days will be achieved on the first step, on the first day of the new beginning. Then, with persistent practice and repetition we could ride automatically again, and that’s how we will arrive to the destination of our choice.
Photography by: Simeon Maniatis